Institutional Strategy II

Copyright: Peter Winandy

The Institutional Strategy II aimed to achieve two major objectives: making a substantial contribution to top-level research in Germany and participating in the global competition of universities. To this end, RWTH sought to fully exploit its scientific potential and meet the complex challenges of the future with holistic research strategies. In the long run, RWTH aims to sharpen and strengthen its international scientific profile in close cooperation with Forschungszentrum Jülich.

In 2012, the Institutional Strategy II sought to complete what was successfully initiated by the first Institutional Strategy in 2007. The achievements of the first funding period of the Excellence Initiative provided the foundation for the RWTH's transformation into an Integrated Interdisciplinary University of Technology.

Institutional Strategy II

To reach this goal, four measures were defined within the scope of the Institutional Strategy II:

Measure 1 – Internationally Recognized Scientific Profile

RWTH has advanced its internationally recognized scientific profile by leveraging the strength of its core competencies in the engineering and natural sciences. Moreover, decisive steps were taken to integrate the humanities, economics and medical sciences in order to tackle problems of great scientific, technological and societal relevance. To this end, RWTH has further strengthened the natural sciences and systematically expanded interdisciplinary research.

Measure 2 – JARA: Focusing Competences – Shaping the Future

The Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA) between RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich has continued the strategic cooperation that serves as a role model for uniting program and discipline-based research in Germany. JARA expanded in dedicated fields by means of joint strategic planning of research, teaching and infrastructure development (JARA Institutes).

Measure 3 – Place to Be

Additionally, RWTH Aachen has implemented mechanisms to attract the world’s best and brightest researchers and students, thus creating an exceptional environment for learning, expanding and disseminating fundamental knowledge.

Measure 4 – Corporate Governance and Structures

The second funding phase introduced novel mechanisms of collaboration, competition, and administration. By establishing cross-faculty profile areas, interdisciplinary research concerning relevant issues of the future were considerably strengthened.